Hi all,
Just wondering, Now that I have a few custom rods under my belt I was wondering if it would be worth my while using the profit I have so far to buy the parts for some generic rods that I could sell online ie. Making some rods for $75 each and then putting them on amazon/@#$%& for $150?
The reason I ask is that normally if someone is going to drop that kind of money on a rod they will want one made to their specs.
Does anyone out there do this? If so do they sell? how many per month etc.
Any advice is really appreciated.
Kind regards and Merry Xmas to all.
Andi Robb

Sorry meant to say I have the space,time and means to turn my garage into a kind of rod making center and could prob pump out 5 rods per week I am just wondering tf its worth it?
Regards Andi

Considering the warranty implications and other things that any semi-production builder is going to have to deal with, I'm not sure anyone has really made any money that way. There are only so many hours in a day. I've watched guys do it, and they don't seem to stay at it for the long haul. No matter how cheaply you can buy the components, how much money are you really making on a rod you're going to sell for 75? If you got the components for free I doubt you'd come out for your time at $75 per rod.

The handful of custom builders that I've seen do very well for themselves seem to build fewer rods but are able to command a very good price for them. They're unique, high quality and aimed at the individual user.

..................

80 to 90 percent of the people out there just want a good quality fishing rod. Only 10 to 20 percent want a truly custom rod. Rod builders are making rods for that 10 to 20 percent. If you try to compete with factory rods you are already behind the eight ball.. You can't do it. As Obama says" period".!! The only way you can make a go of it is to offer something that the factories can't provide. PERIOD!!!

What I have done, thinking the same as you, is make one or two rods to show and sell. If it turns out to be a big thing for you then order a bunch and start pumping them out. If you get just a couple orders then put a one week fulfillment on them and make them as you need them. If it turns out that they are a hard sell then you only have to discount out one or two instead of a dozen.

I have found in my personal experience that most customers who come to a custom builder want a truly custom rod and are willing to pay the extra for such.

______________________________________
Super Tight Lines......Don

I do something I call "Spec Rods"
Whenever something new that looks like it is an item that will be innovative and useful we will build a rod with those component(s).
Then when a customer comes in they can actually see the item on a rod, and they can order their own "custom" rod using some of those ideas.
We explain they can order with guides, thread, etc of their choice.
And some will grab one of the "Spec" rods off the shelf to take home.
We usually offer a discount on those if someone wants it "off the shelf", and price it at full with the discount then noted.

But trying to compete with a box store or factory is a losing proposition.

Best wishes,
Ron Schneider
Schneider's Rod Shop
Mountain Home, Arkansas
[www.schneidersrods.com]
mtnron40@yahoo.com
870-424-3381

Andi,
Go ahead and do what you are thinking about doing.
Take your rod blanks and materials and build them for $75 each.

But to stay in business for a long time, go and sell them for $750 each.

Then you will be able to stay in business and profit.

For the production rods that you see in Gander Mountain, Dicks and other sporting goods outlets, the raw materials cost the production facilities about $6. Then, they pay their builders about 75 cents per hour to build the rods.
This means that the production cost per rod are under $10.

That means that Dick's and Gander mountain can take this $10 rod and retail it for $100.

When you can work with a 10X markup on materials and labor, you can stay in business and pay the overhead.

Good luck

As all have said, I don't think it will work out "if" you plan to sell to a given angler. There is one market though, where I see some having a degree of success, doing what you propose. You would need to live in the right areas to target it though.

That would be building rods for the local party boats.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Roger, could you please post where you got all that information from on it sure would be some interesting reading on my part. I'm sure other rodbuilders would love to read up on it also.

I've been building rods for over 20 years and very rarely do I make a custom rod. I build generic "spec" rods for certain species of fish in my area and have a list of clients and return customers that I've been dealing with for many years. I've built rods full time for 12 or so years even before getting in the component business. My customers are guide services, oilfield companies and many individuals. The guides and oilfield companies will order rods from a dozen each to as many as 50 a time. I don't offer every blank under the sun and give them a choice of what guides to use. I build the rods using blanks and components I know will be right for the type of fishing my customers do and the species they are going after, in my area namely, redfish, speckled trout and bass.

Building rods for a living can be done. I still make no less than 80.00 up to a couple of hundred profit per rod depending on models. It won't happen overnight but will take many years of work, sometimes I may put in up to 15 hours a day on a large order but I treat it as a regular job. I start when I want and at the end of the day when I've had enough I shut it down and start over the next day.

Roger's information on the pricing points of most commercially made rods is accurate.

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